WASHINGTON, D.C.---A special task force of the
Air Line Pilots Association, the union that represents most of the nation’s
airline pilots, met today to continue its evaluation of the risks and potential
defensive measures against terrorist missile attacks by MANPADS (man-portable
air defense systems) on commercial airliners.

"The goal of this special team is to
assess the MANPADS threat and manage the available resources needed to
effectively deal with it. We are attempting to determine the actual risk levels
associated with an attack and what would be the appropriate countermeasures to
deploy commensurate with that risk," said Capt. Dennis Dolan, ALPA’s
first vice president and chairman of its MANPADS Project Team.

"The threat is not new, but it is real,
especially in the current environment. We do not want to leap to conclusions
based on perceptions. We are going to work toward a realistic assessment using a
factual, data-driven process, much like the data-driven techniques now being
used to analyze airline accidents and then develop effective preventive measures
for accidents. We also need to develop procedures and advisories for pilots.
Last but not least, we have to calculate the costs associated with any
countermeasure system and determine who is going to pay for it," Dolan
said.

The ALPA team, composed of pilots and staff
from both the engineering and security disciplines, held its first meeting in
February and will meet again in May.

"Our intent is not to replace or preempt
the MANPADS analysis being undertaken by the Department of Homeland Security. We
view our analysis as a parallel effort that focuses on these issues from the
perspective of the pilots who fly the airliners. Prudence dictates that we must
be prepared for the eventuality of another terrorist attack," Dolan said.

ALPA represents 64,000 airline pilots at 42
airlines in the U.S. and Canada. Its Web site is www.alpa.org.